Operating-slide for breech mechanisms



{No Model.)

W. ASHWORTH.

OPERATING SLIDE FOR BREEGH MECHANISMS. N0. 542,983. Patented July 23,1895.

NITE QTATES ALBERT \V. ASHIVORTH, OF ST. CLOUD, MINNESOTA.

OPERATING-SLIDE FOR BREECH MECHANISMS.

$PEGIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 542,983, dated July 23,1895. Application filed March 18, 1895- erial No. 542,109. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT W. ASHWORTH, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Cloud, in the county of Stearns, State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Breech-Loaders andMagazine-Guns, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to double barrel breech-loader rifles and shotguns;and the objects of my improvement are to provide simple means forcocking either one of the hammers separately, or both of them together,uniformly, Without materially disturbing the aim taken with the gun, andalso to provide simple means for indicating on the side of the gun theposition occupied by the hammer inclosed within its breech. I attainthese objects by the construction illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view showing one of thesides and also the bottom of the central portion of a double-barrel gunprovided with cocking-handles constructed in accordance with myinvention, the front end of the barrels and the rear end of the stockbeing removed to shorten said figure. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal verticalsection of the gun, taken on line so as of Fig. 3, in front of one ofthe hammers and its cocking-rod and passing through the operating-handleof the latter. Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the central portion of thegun, showing the cocking-rods and their handles. Fig. 4. is a transversevertical section on line y y of Fig. 3.

In said drawings the construction of the breech A does not differmaterially from that found in other single-barrel repeating-rifles, andis therefore not shown in detail, but, havin g in this case two barrelsB, is provided with two chambers A to receive the breech-blocks. (Notshown.) In the rear of the breech there is placed on each side ahammerO, concealed in its chamber. One hammer only being shown, only onewillbe described. Said hammer is mounted on a screw or pin 0, secured tothe frame, and said hammer is actuated by a spring D and a link din theusual manner, and is controlled by a trigger E pivoted to the lock orframe of the gun. To push the hammer backward to cook it, theaction-slide F is extended rearwardly beyond its point of junction fwith the breech-block, and said rear extension is of sufficient lengthto push the hammer backward to have it cocked when the operator forcesthe action-slide back by means of its handle G. The combinedactionslides and hammer-cookers F are received loosely in a horizontalgroove a in each side of the breech A and their front ends are securedto the handles G, that are mounted loosely upon the magazine-tubes b.

The gun being a double-barrel, each hammer-cooker rod F is provided witha handle G, that has a substantially semicylindrical groove lengthwiseof its top to fit loosely against the under side of its barrel and asegmental groove g lengthwise of its under side to permit the operatorsfingers to easily grasp either handle independently of the other; but topermit the operator to cook both hammers similarly by a single motion ofhis handin other words, to insure the same amount of retraction of eachhandle-they are constructed to become interlocked when they are firmlyclasped. For this purpose they are provided with teeth 9 on portions oftheir adjacent faces that project sufficiently to become interlockedwhen squeezed toward each other. Normally the teeth 9 of one of thehandles are retained apart from the other by their rods F fitting in thegrooves a but there is enough resilience in said rods to permit them toyield when pressure is applied to the sides of the handles by theoperator.

To indicate on the side of the breech of the gun the position of thehammers thereinthat is, whether they are cooked or not-each hammer isprovided with a pin 0 that passes through a segmental slot a in eachside cap of the frame. Said groove is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2,but is normally closed to prevent dust from entering the look by a segmental cover a that is mounted upon the pin 0 under its head. The covera is received in a segmental groove 01. formed in the side cap of theframe, so that only the head of the pin 0 will project from the side ofthe frame.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim- In a double barrelbreech loader gun, the

combination of two barrels, two hammers concealed Within the breech ofthe gun, two hammer-cockers consisting of flat rods F having their innerends received in grooves within the caps of the breech, two handles Gcarrying the rods F, and tubular guides for said handles, the handles Ghaving serrations g on their inner faces adapted to become interlockedand grooves g in their under sides substantially as described. 10

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT WV. ASI-IWORTH. \Vitnesses:

ANDREW O. ROBERTSON, F. MCGUIRE.

